WAEstate

A living trust is one of the most common tools used in estate planning. If you are contemplating the addition of a living trust to your estate plan, you probably have a number of questions about how a trust might fit into your plan, how to create a trust, and how a living trust terminates. To help answer one of those questions, the attorneys at Kulas Law Group explain how and when a living trust … [Read more...]

Ideally, when a trust is created, the Settlor (the creator) gives considerable thought to the appointment of the Trustee and discusses that appointment with the prospective Trustee before making it final. In reality, however, that doesn’t always happen. In fact, Settlors often appoint a spouse, family member, or close friend to be the Trustee of their trust without really contemplating the … [Read more...]

When a trust is created, the Trustee of that trust is appointed by the Settlor. A Settlor may appoint anyone he/she wishes as the Trustee. That Trustee has a fiduciary duty to the beneficiaries of the trust, meaning that the Trustee must treat the trust assets with more care and invest with more caution that he/she would with his/her own assets. In addition, a Trustee is legally required to follow … [Read more...]

Like many people, you may be considering the inclusion of a trust in your comprehensive estate plan. If you ultimately decide to create a trust there will be a number of decisions you need to make that pertain to the trust, such as what type of trust will best help you achieve your goals and who to appoint as the Trustee of your trust. You may even want to appoint yourself as the Trustee of your … [Read more...]

Although your Last Will and Testament likely serves as the foundation for your estate plan, if you create a comprehensive estate plan it will include a wide range of additional estate planning tools and strategies that are used to accomplish related goals and objectives. One of the most common additions to a well-rounded estate plan is a trust. A trust can help you achieve numerous estate planning … [Read more...]

Were you recently notified that a family member or close friend named you as the Trustee of a trust? If so, and this is the first time you have served as a Trustee, you are probably feeling a little confused and somewhat intimidated by the prospect of administering the trust.   While these feelings and concerns are certainly common, keep in mind that the Settlor (the person who created the trust) … [Read more...]

Although a Last Will and Testament remains the most common estate planning document, trust agreements have gained in popularity to the point where they are a close second. When a trust works as planned it can help to accomplish a wide range of estate planning goals. For that to occur, the Trustee must administer the trust properly and ensure that the trust assets are protected, ideally, increase … [Read more...]

Creating a comprehensive estate plan typically involves choosing a variety of different, yet inter-related, estate planning tools that help achieve the various estate planning goals. One of the most common of those tools is a trust. Though once used almost exclusively by wealthy families to pass down the family fortune without incurring a transfer tax, trusts are now found in the average person’s … [Read more...]

Were you recently informed that you are the Trustee of a trust? If so, and this is the first time you have served as a Trustee, you are probably feeling overwhelmed and wondering where to begin. Under the circumstances, it is in your best interest to consult with an experienced estate planning attorney as soon as possible to obtain individualized advice and guidance. In the meantime, however, it … [Read more...]